3.4
Quality3.1
Difficulty65%
Would Retake162
Reviews65%
Would Retake
162
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
79
4
17
3
11
2
18
1
37
What Students Say
“It's difficult to articulate the frustrations, so I'll honestly just lay out the details: first exam is weighed the most (”
SOC3311 - 1.0 rating“DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH HIM”
SOCI3311 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
15%
Textbook Required
45%
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B+
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1000
5.0
(1)1001
5.0
(3)SOC217
5.0
(1)SOC
5.0
(3)SOCIOLOGY107
5.0
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SOC231
5.0
SOC3471
5.0
SOC2501
5.0
SOC3311
5.0
SOCI3471
4.5
Reviews (162)
He is very funny, and not BORING AT ALL. recommend this class for ALL
he is amazing as a professor, i reccomend his classes to everyone, he always makes you laugh and interested, plus he is hot!
He can keep you interested in the class for the full 3 hours. Best Class I have taken at UCONN by far!!!
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The most interesting lecturer I've ever had... it's like listening to stand-up comedy. Knows his subject and is able to relate it to real life experiences. Exams are fair but difficult- you'll love his class anyways!
awesome professor. has a great sense of humor. cares about his students and is always willing to answer questions, give advice. fair, but difficult exams. in-class quizzes are an easy way to boost your grade. he tells it like it is - an unusual find in the college world.
the best teacher i've ever had and probably ever will. taking him will change how you see the world. take mcneal, be open minded and not a jerk about his topics, and enjoy. also, do the readings and take notes. quizzes help your grade a lot. and don't cheat cause it's stupid.
Best teacher ever. He is humorous and relates everything to real life. He knows what he's talking about and is able to make us understand. Not an easy class by any means but having him as a teacher is worth it. You have to work extremely, extremely hard for an A.
I LOVE THIS PROF! He is a pleasure to listen to in class. Other classes I have that are just as long as his I usually want to poke my eyes out. His tests aren't terrible but if you want that A or B+ be sure that you really study and know the details of every theory well so you don't confuse things.
McNeal seems like a great guy but I urge you NEVER take his online course. He took off during the last two weeks of class, wouldnt respond for days to q's, his quizzes were too hard for a course that was pratically self-taught, his expecations were murky and overall it was a terrible experience. I do all the readings and am struggling for a B.
This on-line summer course was poorly taught. Dr. M took days to answer q's, q's on the quizzes and exams were not covered in either the text or lecture outlines. No access to quizzes to learn what we got wrong. He was unavailable for the last 2 weeks of 6 week class. This was a self taught class. I'm an A student. Frustrating experience.
He loves to go off on tangents but somehow he always manages to fit all the material in and he posts the notes on WebCT before class so taking notes is easy. In fact, he hates it when kids takes detailed notes. He would rather you just sit and listen and absorb the information, kind of like a sponge.
Absolutely loved his class. Crowded in there, but great. Very personable and entertaining. He has some great personal experience stories! Seen hanging out at Ted's on weekends occasionally, cool guy.
Horibble teacher, he lectures alright, but he is the most unorganized person, his tests are alright but the clarity of the questions on his test are poor, i got a B in the class and if you have a chance to drop his class you should, its interesting but he doesnt put any effort into his classes, doesnt respond to any emails, extremely unreliable
Terrible professor, he is good at lecturing but doesn't put any effort into organization and his test questions are unclear and bad. He tells you whats on the test and then its not on it. I attended every class, he is so unorganized never returns emails and always has **** excuses, he shows up to class 10 minutes late everyday also.
The class was kind of interesting. The main problem I had came with the final. It was taken online and the grades were never released on webct. Many students were frustrated as their final grade was lower than expected. He ignored repeated requests to post the grades up.
Professor McNeal is great! After his class, I changed my major to sociology.
Intro to Prejudice and Discrimination was my favorite class of the semester! Lectures were highly interesting and class time flew by. McNeal has lots of "real world" experiences he shares in his lectures. All of the exams were take-home, open-note, essay-style. Time-consuming, but thought-provoking. You MUST go to class to get a decent grade!!!
He is a nice professor; discusses interesting topics and is very clear. The readings are important.
quizzes based on readings. very intersting class. tests are hard. first test grade maybe hard but do well on quizzes to boost grade up. note: when few people are in class he will give extra credit or take attendance. en though it he's a tough professor i'd still recommend sociology of education
McNeal's lectures were interesting, however not at all on topic. He goes off on tangents that don't relate to what is on the slides. There is honestly no use in going to his class because his exams do not pertain to his lecture whatsoever. He is a nice guy, and has good stories, but not organized in the least.
I thought criminology would be an intresting class and the topics were intresting. However the test are so hard and it feels like nothing thats done in class is on the test's. If your not a good test taker dont take him your whole grade is based on 3 tests.
The lectures are pretty interesting...He's a really nice guy/enthusiastic etc, however it's really hard to study for his tests based on what his lectures. he'll tell random stories that are not very useful. Not too organized... multiple choice tests aren't the right format for the material.
McNeal is a pretty good Prof. He knows his stuff very well and alot of times I didnt want his lectures to end. I learned alot and gained a real appreciation for the subject. Exams on the other hand were verrry difficult. Study alot and youll be fine.
Do NOT take sociology with McNeal. He does not given A's out easily. His tests are very confusing and difficult to study for (even when he gives question stems out). He goes off topic during class and I didn't learn a thing. Don't take with him...
awful AWFUL...if you want to take sociology as a gen ed DO NOT take with McNeal, take with glassberg instead, she is so much easier and her tests are more straight forward. you will not get an A unless you spend hours upon hours studying and even then, you could still fail. his questions are confusing and i think hes just a bad person.
he's full of himself and his test are confusing. avoid him at all costs. getting a good grade in his class is impossible.
awful....NOT a grade boosting class. brought DOWN my GPA. McNeal is full of himself and goes off on tangents all the time. AVOID this teacher.
Deviant Behavior with Ralph was fascinating and very easy.
He gives you the stems of test questions, so you'd think you'd get an A, right? WRONG. I took Adv. Sociology in high school, got an A, and ended with a C in this class after studying for hours. Lectures are kind of irrelevant to tests. Test questions are impossible, unclear, disorganized. NOT a beginner course...ruined sociology for me
Not sure why you guys are complaining about. I found the class interesting. I learned a lot. The grade is not easy, but the tests seemed fair to me. Especially since he gives us the stems in advance.
Fun class to go to, he can be entertaining...but if you want an A do NOT take this class..he gave our class stem questions, we all got together and decided what the answers should be, class average was still a 72
Great class. requires hard work but I would recommend this class to anyone.
Some class on Injustice. Forget the actual name. A new course but McNeal made the stuff really interesting. WOuld take another course with him.
Subject matter is really interesting, and McNeal is a really interesting guy. Got lots of cool stories. Almost never read the book. 3 MC exams, gives question stems in advance but Bs are still the norm grade. Got Bs studying only a day or two in advance, more effort would probably mean better grades in this class. Don't take if you don't care
Dr. McNeal is pretty cocky but he is a great lecturer. His class was interesting and he told some cool stories relevant to the course material. I suggest going to class and studying from the stem questions he posts prior to the exam. Going to office hours definitely helps.
Worst professor I have EVER had. Extremely cocky, and his tests reflect this. His lectures don't have anything to do with tests so don't waste your time. Killed my GPA when i get straight A's in science classes. AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Didn't need to study much because some questions on test weren't in the book or in lectures anyway. The rest of the questions were stem questions or questions from quizzes.
He is a very interesting guy. Don't really need to go to class if you just read the book. This semester all our exams and quizzes were online so it was all open book. Never really studied more than reading the chapters once and got mostly A's and B's. Questions are slightly confusing but the tests are made up with a lot of questions from the exams.
McNeal is very good at conveying the information to students and his lectures are interesting (in a good way) however his tests are poorly written and he gives vary vague answers to his questions making them extremely difficult to answer. If you are not a good test taker do not take a McNeal class even as a W, tests are still 75% of your grade.
McNeal is a funny guy, but his lectures probably only correspond to his powerpoints about 35% of the time. I went to every class, took all the notes, read all the readings, and studied beforehand, and still I struggled with the online exams. Do not take this class unless you need it, it won't do your gpa any good.
McNeal is a pretty funny guy. His lectures aren't too bad and he always tries to keep you entertained with stories. His exams, however, are very hard and poorly written. Only about 30% of info for exams is on the slides. Don't take this class unless you have to.
The lectures are better than any I've ever had. Very stimulating and funny. No idea where he gets the questions for his exams from though. I used the previous edition of the book which may be why, but I always attended lecture. I'm a chemistry minor and this is the hardest class I've had at UConn.
Don't see what all the complaints are about. The lectures were great and tests seemed relevant.
Criminology class was very interesting. A combination of book and lectures were on tests. Would have been nice to see more films.
He demands a lot from you, but he gives you the question stems in advance of the test. I'd like them to be sooner, but who can argue?
Really cool class. Great readings. Would like to have seen more movies but discussions in class were solid
hes a good teacher he related a lot of the stuff in class to his own life which makes it a little interesting. tests and quizes are online so that helps.hes funnny and interesting i really recommend this class
loved this class. It was not easy but the lectures were engaging. Tests were hard, but fair. Don't know about the other guy, but he was very approachable. Always answered questions
great prof! Class is super-easy if you read and come to class. There are pop quizzes. Several friends failed but they never came to class and got like 0 averages on the quizzes.
not online, but quizzes and tests were. So lecture in class and tests online. study from notes and you are assured a B. Throw in the textbook and you have the A
Apparently my class was the last one being taught by lectures and now it will be 100% online. Quizzes are easy even if you just google everything (Usually 1-2 questions are from random readings). Tests are a bit harder. Good intro to sociology but the class requires more p2p interaction.
criminology class, not criminal justice, so if you want CJ you will be disappointed. as far as criminology, great class.
tests were online, but regular lectures
Class was great. Quizzes were a bear. Would definitely take another class.
Criminology. By far best course I have taken at UConn.
Grading scale starts at 65 because he thinks he's cool. Neat to listen to but the tests don't pertain to the information presented in class. No sympathy for students. Awful experience. Don't take the class unless you need to.
I had him for an online class but he ws super helpful with his instruction and his videos. tests could be taken multiple times which was awesome
I could NOT figure out his expectations on exams! Such strangely worded questions that--regardless of the time spent studying--would confuse anyone. No xtra credit & no help outside class; very curt in his emails as well. Study guides are useless. He rambled a LOT. Content was repetitive & overwhelmingly liberal but I guess that's typical for UConn
Coming from a 3.5 econ student this was a difficult class. I took this class as an upper related, came to every class, read all of the articles, and studied so much before exams. He is so unclear and makes the exams very tricky and difficult. he also makes it very clear he does not curve or give any extra credit. This was my lowest grade, AVOID.
Criminology. McNeal is an AWFUL professor. Offers three exams with no other work, so if you're good with those types of classes go for it. Tests are really tricky and confusing, and based off two books and lectures. He didn't care about students and cancelled his office hours when too many students had questions. Would NOT recommend.
Worst professor I've ever had. Only talked about his kids. Students wrote exam questions as homework and he used them for the exam. He does nothing. If you don't memorize the entire article, you're not going to pass.
McNeal is a very confusing professor. I went to every single lecture but the quizzes never had anything to do with lecture. They were all online, but even with notes in front of me, taken directly from his power points, I still did poorly. He makes inappropriate and unnecessary examples of students making class uncomfortable. Avoid him!
McNeal is very passionate about everything he teaches. He uses real life examples and his powerpoints are clear and to the point. Attending class isn't necessary as he posts the slides online, but he definitely notices if you go to class or not. Exams and quizzes are online-- open note, open book, open google, making it easy to do get a 90+
I came into this class assuming it would be extremely easy - there are only online quizzes and exams. While hard to fail (if you read and take notes), his questions are awfully subjective. Spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, and highly debatable answers on his online assessments guarantee frustration and a lower grade than expected.
This man is the worst college professor I have ever had. He knows his stuff but he clearly treats his job like a joke. His exam questions are all poorly-written and his lectures are inane at best. You CAN do well but you'll have to basically teach yourself. I don't recommend it
In class, but Test and quizes were online. Lectures were great and interesting. He is a cool guy. 80%of answers are online so you should pass. I did better on the quizzes studying than using the internet tho so read the chapters for the quiz and use internet for the test. No attendance is taken but he has a keen eye and knows whose present freq.
Agree with the person who said he makes class uncomfortable. I cringed at least three times every time I went- he seems to have an odd fascination with telling inappropriate stories about former (female) students. Expect offensive and potentially triggering language, or just avoid this professor all together.
Don't take this class
This class is interesting and not hard. Could be considered an easy A if you put minimal effort into it. Show up to class since he doesn't post his powerpoints online. The quizzes are online and so are 80% of the answers. The only complaint I had is that he doesn't tell you when online quizzes are due. I missed 2 for the semester.
Just do not get the critics. Read and come to class. Be prepared to hear about sensitive topics. Easily one of the best classes I have taken. Made class interesting and fun to attend. Tests can be hard, but this is college.
Wow. He rates all over the place. Great class from my view and I got a B-. He did talk about things like -rape and -sexual assault, but also drugs and murder. Never thought it was inappropriate, but yes, sensitive topics
overall one of the best professors I have had
For a class that is extremely interesting content, it it nearly impossible to get above a B. His study guides give you the question and you need to find the answer, but then when you take the test, its all "A,B, None of the Above, All of the Above".. DO NOT take this class if you think it will be an easy subject.
It's difficult to articulate the frustrations, so I'll honestly just lay out the details: first exam is weighed the most (?), exams are impossible, he does not curve, does not give extra credit, he's not approachable, he's disorganized, unprofessional, and is too busy fantasizing about being an undergrad again to actually teach the material. AVOID
DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH HIM. His lectures barely have content. He rambles with stories and thinks he is hilarious. I found it very hard to believe anything that came out of his mouth. He talks about the sensitive material a little too in detail. He would swear in class and was too inappropriate. No review for exams and study guides were NO HELP.
Without a doubt the worst professor I've ever had. At no point did anything he say in class serve any value. He spends the entire class talking about himself in a braggadocious manner and none of his lecture material is on his assessments. Reading the book won't help either. I wish I had more space to write, I could write a book on this hot mess.
Rambles about politics and things unrelated to class material and goes over lecture time period on his lengthy stories. Exams are all online BUT poor grammar and spelling mistakes everywhere and could be any of the answers, very subjective. Have to read IN DEPTH to find some answers and some are nowhere. Avoid. Not a helpful professor by any means.
Your hw is to do the reading and then write multiple choice questions based on the readings. Those questions are collected and used as the exams. He does ZERO teaching, just talks about his kids. He does, though, point directly at students and proceed talk about their race/ethnicity, making the entire class very uncomfortable.
AWFUL teacher! VERY condescending&arrogant. The syllabus he sent out before class began basically suggested that we would all cheat, and that he would know if we did, which already makes me very uncomfortable. He then uses every opportunity of discussion to talk about his own upbringing, where he was born poor and became a prestigious professor..
Overall an interesting guy. Sometimes he makes people uncomfortable by using students in inappropriate examples or by his choice of words, but at least it makes class interesting. There is no homework, and there are weekly quizzes, but they're online and only 5 questions, so it's an easy 100.
This class was very interesting and the professor is very entertaining. However, I struggled on the tests and this was a large part of my grade. There are weekly online quizzes and you must go to class because there are iclicker questions.
Material and class isn't hard, but I definitely put a lot of time into it in order to make sure I got a good grade. Have to read the textbook or watch the lectures, and can't ignore the articles. Discussion counts for a lot of points and requires time. Overall Dr. Mcneal is funny and clear with his expectations, was a good and interesting class.
Horrible professor. His lecturing was him talking about his personal life with awful attempts at relating it to+ course material. Assignments prompts poorly explained what was required. I emailed him for clarification and I still failed for "not answering the prompt". His exams were difficult and included questions neither he or the book discussed.
Holy COW. I've never rated a professor before but I have to warn people about this guy. He conducts class on the assumption that we are looking to cheat/work around his lectures. His lectures are vague and sometimes inappropriate, the exams are vague and glitchy. Buddy, if you have to send an email shaming the class for poor grades, its your fault
His lectures can be pretty interesting, but he grades so tough. It seems almost impossible to get an A on any of the assignments or tests, as he's NEVER clear on the instructions. Always said I didn't write what the assignment says, but the assignment wasn't clear whatsoever. Even if you study with the lectures & tests, it won't help for the exam.
Worst professor ever. Lectures are always talking about himself and his random personal opinions. Often makes uncomfortable comments about women, points out students race/gender/etc to make awkward examples. assignment grading+instructions never clear, sends condescending emails telling us how poorly we did. Lectures useless, study textbook. AVOID
This professor does not show any leniency no matter any problems you may have and almost aims to make your life difficult. I would never take this class again or have him as a professor. His assignments are not clearly laid out and he assumes the worst of his students.
The class was not bad if you're interested in the criminal justice system but McNeal honestly is quite rude. He always writes to his students as if they've done something wrong - and in such hard times it's really condescending. Study hard and if your grades suck come the add drop date, don't risk it, especially if it's just a gen ed.
Don't let the other reviews fool you, McNeal is a great professor! His 1001 is one of those classes that will undoubtedly change your wold view through his quirky yet captivating lecture style, and the wonderful content of sociology! Memorize textbook vocab and read his supplemental material and you'll get an easy A on exams.
I took his online class on Criminal Justice. Personally loved the course. Online and asynchronous helps keeps me on track. I liked also being able to take quizzes a second time, which I suggest even if you get a 100%. You get different questions.
Terrible teacher would not recommend. Not understanding of you having other things going on in life and getting a good grade is hard. Every quiz is 10-12 question so if you get a couple wrong you're screwed. Find another professor for this class 10/10 would not recommend
Awesome class. Not sure I have anything bad to say. I would take all my soc classes with him. Super responsive. I don't get the haters? Best online course I have taken.
Let's you take quizzes twice. Whats not to like about that?
Hope the grade holds up after the final. I would 100% take another class.
Terrible teacher not understanding at all when you miss an assignment. The quizzes you get two tries but they're different the second time so it's not as much help as you would think. Your grade is all quizzes and three exams. Way harder than it should be for and INTRODUCTION to sociology class should be.
I took the online class, which was far and away better set up than my other classes. At first, it seems like the "module" dates would be hard to keep on top of, but it certainly makes you not fall behind. Would definitely recommend this class
I get it, there is a lot of reading and he comes across in the online class as not being very flexible, but the reality is he is very flexible with deadlines when it comes to power outages, bad weather, the pandemic. He seems to me much more proactive than other professors like this. He sends us email at least twice a week to keep us on track
The Deviance class was wild. It was only 3 weeks, so a lot of work to do every day, but I loved this class. My favorite parts were the aliens, conspiracy theories and the "poo diver". You should take this class.
lot of reading, but the online class is well organized and easy to stay on track. His lectures are like mini-movies, and he includes videos in some of them to break them up. He sends us email at least twice a week to remind us what is due. I recommend the class to all my friends interested in criminal justice.
you need to watch the lectures he uploads. they have info that is not in the book but on the test. i made that mistake on the first test. but i learned a lot and would def take again.
You're graded by 3 exams (including final) and there's a quiz every week, and still one due on the same day that the exams are due. For a 1000 level class, this is unnecessarily difficult & im not the biggest fan of the professor. He expects you to prioritize this class and sends out constant emails about expecting you to get work done early.
I like the reminder emails and would def recommend more professors make their online classes I like this one.
I think everyone should take this criminal justice course. So much of what we think we know we do not. Almost ashamed to admit how much of what I "learned" about the criminal justice system on tv and social media is just untrue.
So much reading and the quizzes are timed with monitor. Would only take this professor over the break. Because it was such a short class, no Midterm or a final which was nice. Grade was comprised of mostly quizzes, but lots of reading is needed. Took me about 5-8 hours a day to do the class materials in the May session course. Nice but hard class.
2nd class I have taken with him. Wish I could take more.
The online format takes getting used to but he sets it up so we get 1 week of material at a time. Keeps me on track anyway, but I know others may want to work farther ahead. Registered for another one of his classes next semester.
Prof McNeal's lectures are vital to passing the class so you must watch them. However, it's not too bad and you can watch when you want. Takes a while though. He is very easy to reach outside of class. Very clear instructions on how to succeed. Interesting lectures. You have to read the textbook to pass the weekly quizzes but it's free online!
No extra credit but his explanation makes sense. We are all graded on same criteria. Best structured online class I have ever taken - and there have been a lot since covid!
Ditto on the last review. Tough class, but fair. It was a 3 week class, so it seems like more work than a regular course. Just stay on top of it and you will be fine.
It is online, so there is no class attendance, but you need to watch the lectures. He warns students over and over again and he is right. I did much better on my final than the midterm after watching more of the lectures.
This is honestly the worst class Ive taken in my four years at UConn as a part of my final semester. If you are taking the online portion of this class you need to save materials because you wont have any access to prior modules after the week of that material is over. This professor is stuck up his own over a class that is just an intro course.
great class. looking to take another with him.
I know, missing the modules kind of sucks, but he explains on the syllabus that if you missed class you would also miss lectures. I find it hard to stay on top of other courses so i just work on this one every monday morning. Really not that bad.
He's doing the most with his quizzes and exam on a lockdown browser and monitor
He sets firm deadlines, but they help keep me on track. I am learning a ton and sociology is a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Not the easiest class, but not the hardest.
I took the class as a filler for my senior year. Glad I did. I learned a lot that will help me when I pursue medical school. It is online, so lots of flexibility with getting work done. Do not miss the deadlines. Dude is big on time management and holds firm. Definitely take the class though - just do not miss the deadlines.
This professor is not caring whatsoever. Not helpful to those students who are struggling. The modules in the class are open for that week only and cannot go back to look at notes and lectures. The tests/quizzes are so specific. There is no extra credit and believes it is unfair. If it makes you feel any better, my dad gave him a speeding ticket.
count me in the "love this professor" group. looks like you either love or hate the class. i like the weekly material and deadlines. stops me from falling behind. i get the extra credit complaint, but i also get why he thinks it is unfair. he talks about it on the syllabus.
weekly lockdown quizzes and 3 exams. the material can be hard sometimes and a lot to learn sometimes. he cares a lot about the topic and if you get to know him he cares about the students and rewards those who do well. do not take unless you are willing to fully commit. the majority of those i know take it as an elective but it is not an easy A
Lectures are really long and have weekly lockdown quizzes but you get 2 tries at it. Hard exams that are applied concepts. Wasn't the easier professor to communicate with and have no lenience for missing assignments. Offered no extra credit and had 3 big exams. No 'busy work' or assignments just the quizzes.
He discriminates against students with mental health challenges and is untrained, disrespectful, and unprofessional. He targets specific students and has prejudice the second the course starts whilst being online and not knowing you. He believes students can have no lives outside of his class and emergencies are unacceptable and make you lazy.
He actually monitors the online class unlike a lot of other profs. You'll get Email if you are caught doing anything fishy. I liked the lectures. His exams are hard and you need to know more than just memorizing. My second course with him. I would take another.
I for one like the class format without extra credit or anything. Just seems fair to me the way he explains it on the syllabus. looking forward to the criminal justice class.
He is very clear with what he expects. The class is very flexible in that you get basically a week to do the work. You get to set your schedule like that. I did miss one week but I knew I could take the 0 on the quiz. Pretty straightforward but my friends who are very good with their time did struggle.
its an online class. lots of reading and lectures to watch, but they are interesting. I learned a lot in the class and really liked the way it was set up. My impression is that some find it hard to stay on track and he doesn't open the units back up. Pretty strict, but fair.
There is a lot of reading, but it is all interesting. The one thing I would say is do not take two classes with him at the same time. You are better taking his crime and criminal justice classes two different semesters. It is a lot of work.
I liked the class, but do NOT miss the deadlines. He gives us a week to do a unit and because of that if you miss something he doesn't give you any slack. Once I missed a quiz, I started doing all the work for his class the first day or two a unit was open.
Overall, Professor McNeal is a very a well-spoken and genuine professor who truly wants you to get the most out of his class. He's quite strict when it comes to his grading criteria, but in my opinion it's fair. Whenever I emailed him about questions I got incorrect on quizzes, he was always willing to respond back in a professional manner.
Requires lots of work-have to watch all lectures and read whole textbook. Quizzes every week with two attempts. No extra credit or extended deadlines. 2 exams. He respects dedication and hard work. emails back in a professional matter. One of the best prof I have taken with regards to reliability. No busywork or assignments. Great guy.
He is not understanding of human error whatsoever. Even as a diligent student, he does not even pretend to care if you miss a deadline for a valid reason or need to reschedule something (even for a University event).
This was an online asynchronous class, and as long as you study, you will pass. He is very strict about deadlines, but the class is organized and structured as long as you're willing to manage your time, especially with some of the longer lectures. Even though I'm not a CJ major, this information is very useful for general knowledge. I recommend.
I would recommend if you are looking for a less time consuming class and like self-paced work. Grade is 50% weekly quizzes, 25% midterm exam, and 25% final exam. No extra credit, no flexibility, no rounding, etc. The exams are kind of challenging, quizzes not so much in my opinion. Overall not a lot of work but not an easy A.
You need to be pretty organized to do well in his class. Material is available for a week, but he is not flexible with the deadlines. I am pretty good, but some friends were not. I would take another class from him, but I am graduating!
Dr. McNeal is a good professor. He has a lot of knowledge and his lectures are very clear and easy to follow. However, if you don't read, you WILL NOT PASS. Grading is made up of only test/quiz grades and the quizzes can be a little tricky. It's not the easiest class, but if you're willing to put in the work you'll do fine.
1 module a week, completed at your own schedule as long as done before due date. Will not reopen modules, no extra credit. 1 quiz per module: 15+ questions, 20+ mins, lockdown w camera, all multiple-choice. Midterm and final: each 2 parts, one being multiple-choice other free response
This professor relies entirely on the textbook and multiple choice quizzes and exams (the latter of which also has a minuscule short answer) to avoid actually grading his students' work. His lectures are pointless and the quizzes and exams (which is your entire grade) have such specific (and irrelevant) questions. All closed book. No extra credit.
I loved this class. Told my friends to take it. Looking forward to taking his other classes.
I found the class very interesting and actually not that hard. I read the book and watch the lectures, then take the weekly quiz. For exams, I review my previous quizzes. I am pretty good with my time, so maybe that makes a difference. Friends of mine kept forgetting about the course and missed some of the quizzes.
attendance is not mandatory, but if you do not watch the lectures you will probably not get an A. he treats it like a regular class. if you do not watch the lectures, he thinks of it like skipping class. no make-ups. i just made it a Tuesday - Thursday class on my schedule.
I just took his winter class. great course. 3 weeks goes by pretty fast, but worth it.
Dr. McNeal is the worst sociology professor I have ever taken. He gives you one week to finish a learning module, there's a lot of hour long lecture videos (5-6 per module) and lockdown browser quizzes. Every quiz is lockdown browser, closed note. He is not flexible with deadlines even if there is an emergency. AVOID TAKING THIS PROFESSOR!!!
He is psychotic. There's no way he has a perfect 5.0 right now. Does not provide any sort of study guide for our lockdown w/ monitoring exams. He deletes all lectures after you view them, so you can't even watch them again for the exam. He said Dean of Student requests are "recommendations" and said he won't follow them unless he feels like it.
He seems to be a love him or hate him professor. I am on the plus side. Not sure I agree with the lecture complaints. I took 2301 and I never once had 5 hours of lectures a week. He says it is like a "normal" class so maybe 2-3 hours at most?
The lectures are interesting and add to the book. The weekly quizzes you get 2 tries. The exams are tough but fair. I do wish there was more essay questions though. Would def take again.
The most insufferable professor I've ever met. Claims the quizzes will be on big concepts but then asks us questions on topics that are presented for less than 6 seconds on screen in his 2 hours-worth of lectures. Exams and quizzes are all lockdown with camera. I spend more time on this class than all my grad classes combined and won't end w/ an A
I've taken every course he offers. Wish he would teach others.
I treat this as a regular class and watch lectures on Tuesday and Thursday. My friends are not as good with their time. For me, the class is very flexible since it is online. I would take it again. But he does warn you about not being good with your time, so I would say the class may not be for everyone.
currently taking the class but I have a B after the midterm. i prefer in person classes but this may be the best online course i have taken. i like how the work is spaced out with something do every week. the lectures add to the textbook and are worth watching. looking forward to taking another class with the professor next semester.
I found him very understanding of my personal situation. I think he comes across as more rigid than he is trying to cut down on the requests. I did much better on the final than the midterm after i realized he would ask questions specific to the lectures on the tests.
AMAZING professor, mean guy. Online asynchronous course and the content is some of the most interesting stuff I've ever learned. Kind of a lot to prepare for each weekly quiz, then the exams are tough, but it's content that you don't mind studying. Try not reaching out to him, he will answer promptly with an answer, but will not be nice about it.
I second another reviewer. AMAZING professor. I would not say mean guy, but def very firm with deadlines. He only works with the Disability Center for exceptions. I missed a quiz and told him I was in the hospital. He said I need to have the Dean verify it. tbh, I never did because I was not in the hospital. lol. do not miss those deadlines.
His lectures were super dry and unnecessary. He just vomits up the textbook but adds a few little tuf
I found dr. mcneal to be very responsive and understanding. His lectures always included stuff not in the textbook. I really liked the videos in the lectures. This is my second class with him. If you follow his suggestions on the syllabus that helps a lot too.
He is tenured professor. Do not recommend not understanding what so ever. If you do take this class make sure to create study groups because his suggestion to passing the class is a one size fits all when its not the case!
A lot of reading and lecture material, but the quizzes are straight forward. Syllabus is also very straight forward. No extra credit but if you read the material you will do well
This professor is actually god awful. Online class but have weekly quizzes and readings to do. His lecture vids are fine but so boring, a lot of the material is barely on the quiz. He does not curve at all so don't even bother asking. Read the textbook if you want to do well on the quizzes. He does not care about his students and it shows.
ralph is rude
This class is very interesting and the professor makes it really fun. There is quite a bit of work, including reading the textbook and watching the lectures but it's not too bad. Quizzes can be a little confusing and annoying but make sure you READ THE BOOK and PREPARE and you will be fine. It's not that easy of a course and you will need to study.
The most spiteful professor I've ever had despite how much of a joke the content was. I transferred in before add/drop and he would not let me make up the assignments, he was rude and CCd the dean when I asked to be able to. His lectures often had random youtube videos, one featured a 12 minute long makeup tutorial. Learned nothing. Joke of a prof.
I liked the class enough I am takin another one with him. I tell all my friends to take this course if they can!
The class was great. I also found him very understanding. He always sends out announcements to keep us on track. I learned more in this class than in most of my other classes. I can't speak about missing work and not being able to make it up. I got all my work done each week.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
15%
Textbook Required
45%
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